WOYWW...

 I've not had a lot of customers this week....I guess many are on their holidays....so I have been using my time well by sewing for the charity I support.

I loved making the rag doll so much that I decided to make another one....I try to make each one different but have enjoyed making each one.

Harry Johnson's mum, Sally, called in to collect the sewing I had ready for her this week and was really pleased with the quilt and the two rag dolls so, as she was having a stall at Vron Gate show last Saturday, she said she would take the quilt and one of the rag dolls there with her and keep the other rag doll for the Minsterley Show.

So I made her another quilt to take with the second rag doll to Minsterley show.  I am really loving dipping into the gifted fabrics and have already sorted out another batch of fabrics to make another quilt....I'm on a roll :-)

Please note my assistant isn't naked behind the quilt :-) :-)

Amongst the gifted fabrics were lots of ready cut squares ready to patchwork so I have been doing some random patchwork with them and plan to make 3 cushions with it....they are all really good quality fabrics so have been lovely to sew with.

Just so you know, I have had some sewing for my customers.  This is a lovely School Memory Bear for a school that I haven't made one for before and it brings my number of schools up to 39 now.

I hope you have enjoyed your visit today and will leave me a little message so I know you've called by and I will do my best to pay you a return visit as soon as I can.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW....

Happy Wednesday to one and all.  Firstly I must let all my concerned friends know that we were lucky enough to not be affected by the floods of yesterday thankfully and as they did back in July the water levels went down as quickly as they came up.  Thank you to those who left me comments yesterday.

I teased you a while ago with the rag dolls I had made for the twin's birthdays.  It was their birthday on Thursday [check out the pics in the posts below] so I can now show and tell the finished dolls and accessories.  :-)

Please click on pic to enlarge to read labels.

We bought Lexi a push chair and a little wooden trike with a trailer for Sam so they have transport for their new dolls  :-)  .... and I'm pleased to report that they love them all.

The new jars [alas plastic not glass] have already been put into good use...

I've replaced my smaller jars with the new large ones and, oops somehow, they are already full!! ....how did that happen?  :-)

Our fun day was rained off on Monday and none of my customers ventured out with sewing jobs through the floods so I set my table up to play alone.  You can see my embellisher on the table and my boxes full of yummy fabrics, all colours of wool rovings and dumfable yarns all spread around me on the floor.  Of course there was no point in clearing it all off for Tuesday as the munchkins came to play and the shop was shut so this morning I will be having more dumfing fun til my customers flood back with work for me.

The little dumfed dragonfly pic on last Wednesday's post sold before it had time to settle in the blog shop so I have now finished this one and will be loading it up in the blog shop at some point soon....Jo has already put her latest in there if you're interested.  I have put this one in a double mount so that who ever buys it can put it in a frame of their choosing.....everyone has a different opinion on the size/colour frame to use and selling them this way also makes them cheaper to post.

For those interested in why Jo and I are dumfing dragonflies you might like to read this link.
Waterbugs and Dragonflies

That's about all from me for today so if you'd like to leave me a quick 'hello' comment I will aim to pay you a return visit ASAP.  Have a great week.
Hugs,
Annie x

WOYWW...

Life moves on as they say....or does it?

This week has seen me altering Regency style shirts and trousers so I feel like I've gone back a few years.  :-)  

My newest customer arrived on Monday with two shirts [one a plain everyday shirt and this one, a frilled best shirt] and ...

....this pair of trousers [with button down front flap].  Aren't they amazing?  He takes part in the Jane Austen events in Bath in September and these are the latest additions to his new costumes.  I feel like he has introduced me to whole new possibilities.  The Jane Austen dresses are just so floaty and romantic...I can just imagine wearing one of those can't you?

My last two weeks have been really quiet ones with just a few sewing jobs to keep me ticking over but Monday was just something else!....I had over a dozen phone calls and nearly as many customers....can you tell Jo was AWOL!!  Where was she when I needed her?.....she was going for a ride on a steam train that's where!!  

You've heard me mention my sewing mountain from time to time well here is a pic of just part of it!....7 pair of jeans needing shortening [by Friday!!] and on top of that my 'to do' rail is full plus I have 3 huge foam pads to cover to make a bay window seat......what a difference a week makes eh?

I don't want you all thinking I sat with my feet up since last Wednesday though.  You saw the body parts on my desk last week?....well, they are now all joined together to make two little characters that you can see peeping out here....will do a show and tell after 20th September [the twins 1st birthday  :-) ].  I know their mummy reads my blog [even though for some reason she is now able to leave comments!] and I want to keep them hidden from her til then.

My last pic this week is of some of my car boot finds.  Up til last Sunday I had never been to a car boot sale so was a complete car boot virgin.  Jo is always showing us what fab things she finds so this week hubby and I plus Shell, Brent and the munchkins took the plunge and went in search of bargains.  These 4 pieces of fabric were just £3 [worth much more!] plus we picked up several new toys....all immaculate.  We all came away thrilled with our bargains and may well go again  :-)


So, that's me for this week.  Why not pop over to Julia's and join in the WOYWW fun by exposing your crafty space to the world.  Thanks for calling by.  Please leave me a little hello comment and I will do my best to pay you a return visit....I'm sorry if I missed any of you out last week....it wasn't the best of weeks as most of you will have read below.  :-(
Hugs,
Annie x

WOYWW....with body parts

Hello to all my wonderful blogging friends. My friend Mojo is away on her holiday but I am doing my best to manage without her just now.....I'm sure she will come home soon with her batteries recharged and with lots of creative ideas so I'm happy to wait.  :-)

I have a few pics to share with you to show you what I am doing in the mean time....

I've finished my last 'fish and chip' set and now posted it to Dawn ready for them to be shipped out to Africa.....If you still have any waiting to be posted don't forget to get them posted soon cos there is a final deadline coming up.

As you know we were asked not to make them pale colours so I made this one out of some bright random wool I had....fab or what?

Yesterday was a munchkin day so that Mummy could get some school planning done and here they are saying hello to all their blogging Aunties from the reading corner  :-)  They have had high temps this week with a nasty little bug....Lexi had it first and was kind enough to share it with Sam!  Thankfully they are little fighters and seem to be shaking it off now.

At long last I have made a display of all the wonderful ATCs I received in the 3rd birthday WOYWW swap.  I have attached them to 1" wide cotton tape and fixed the tape over the door of one of my wall cupboards....I'm rather pleased with the finished result too and am able to sit and admire all my wonderful talented friend's work while I am here typing at the computer....thank you all so much.

This is what you call perks of the job....these are trimmings off some gorgeous vintage lace I had to use for one of my customers.  He rebuilds and referbs old vintage caravans and I was honoured to be asked to make the curtains and blinds for his latest one.....I'm sure these bits will be put to good use in some creative moment [that is when Mojo gets back from her holidays!].

I can here you all saying..."so where are the body parts Annie?"

Here they are.  You will be pleased to know they are only dolly body parts.  :-)

It's the twins 1st birthday coming up next month....where has that time gone?!!!!.....Their mummy has asked if I will make them each one of my rag dolls so this is the work in progress.

I'm just waiting for a new bag of stuffing to arrive to finish off the bodies.  I promise I will show you more as they progress.  :-)

I hope you have enjoyed your visit today.  If you would like to leave me a little message I will do my best to pay you a return visit in between my sewing jobs today.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW

Hello all.  We have had a strange thing up in the sky here for a day or two...it's big, yellow and very bright....if anyone has any idea what it is please send answers on a postcard  :-) :-)

Doesn't it make you feel better when it's warmer and not raining?  I'm sorry to say it wasn't like this on Saturday morning while we had our sale....It was very cold and very damp so we put chairs in the front of our garage so folk could enjoy their coffee in there  :-)  It was lovely to see a lot of old friends but alas many were missing due to becoming too old and frail and suffering ill health. Old age rarely comes alone I'm sorry to say.

I've had another busy week with lots of customers and for those wondering I am now up to 1170...I actually had 6 more new customers last week!  The business is really booming even though I put my prices up a little from the beginning of April this year...the first increase in 3 years!  I like to check with other businesses in the area before putting up my prices and for 5 jobs that I do regularly that I had been charging £55 for they were charging £103 in Shrewsbury.....I guess that's why I have lots of customers eh?

So? What is on my desk this week?

The simple answer is....... lots......... but not a lot I can share with you just yet  :-)

.....But I will say my little box of ATCs is filling....Jo and I had a creative Funday Monday making a few more for the 3rd Birthday celebrations next week.  I would love to, not only send one to my pay it forward WOYWWer, but am happy to, do a swap with any of the wonderful friends I have made during the last three years so please email me with your details if you fancy swapping with me. 

 I've finished two of the little dolls for the twins....and they love them  :-)

I'm still only able to knit for short spells before my hands ache but I've managed to finish Lexi's latest cardigan.   :-)
I do love Crofter baby wool.

That's all I can share with you today so please leave me a little 'hello' message before you pop over to Julia's to join in the WOYWW fun and I will do my best to pay you a return visit. Don't forget to email me with your address if you fancy swapping ATCs next week for our birthday celebrations [in addition to the pass it forward one of course].  I feel so very blessed to have made so many wonderful friends in the last 3 years so it would be really fab if some of you would like to swap with me.

WOYWW....

I'm a little later posting today cos I've had a few days off work to celebrate our 30th Wedding Anniversary [see post below].  Please help yourselves to a drop of bubbly to help us celebrate [we were actually given 2 free glasses of bubbly at lunch time yesterday by our waiter when he realised why we were there].

It's be a wonderful few days but I am back to work today and just know that there are lots of customers waiting for my services [several have left me messages on the answer phone to tell me so too!] so I'm guessing I will be pretty busy catching up.  So?  What have I got to share with your today?

I have been asked to show you my finished bride dolls.  As you can see they have ringletted hair, a veil and I've added a few silver beads for their tiaras.  I'm sure these will amuse the little flower girls on the big day don't you?

I have been knitting for the 'fish and chip' babies and this is the first set I have finished.  The idea is to make little jumpers and hats from left over balls of wool and as you can imagine I have just a few of those  :-)  If you would like to find out more and would be willing to join in for this good cause then please pop over here for more details.

The last thing I have to share with you is a collection of snaps I've taken around our garden.  Our garden seems to be springing into bloom following all the showers of rain we have had lately.

I hope you have enjoyed your visit here this week.  Thanks for calling by.  Before you pop over to Julia's to join in the WOYWW fun please leave me a little hello comment and I will do my best to pay you a visit in between my sewing jobs.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW....

What a wonderful week I've had since last Wednesday.  Not only have we had all the Easter celebrations, we have also had our little Lulu's 2nd birthday party.  

Happy Birthday Lulu for yesterday....My, how you've grown since we took this pic :-)

I've really enjoyed 4 days off work with lots and lots of wonderful family times.  

We took our little twin munchkins to see our old neighbour in her care home as an Easter treat.  I'm sorry to say she isn't too well at the mo and old age really is taking it's toll on her [she was asleep on her bed and still in her nightie and dressing gown at nearly lunch time  :-( ] but her face really lit up to see the little ones.  I'm not sure she would remember we had been 5 mins after we left but for that moment alone the effort was all worth while....thanks M.

What is on my desk today?.....

This is the latest little hoody that I've knitted for my friend's expected first Grandbaby.  It's sat on my table waiting to have it's buttons sewn on.  

Here are the latest 3 little dollies in the making.  They are to be bride dolls for the three little flower girls at Michelle's wedding in July hence their silver shoes. 

This is one of them in the next stage of the making.  I've made her a little ivory satin dress and firmly stitched a little posy of flowers on the front.  She still needs lace edged pants [can't have a girl getting married without her pants can we!!].  Not sure if I will give her a veil or quite how I will do it yet and I still have to decide on hair and facial features too.  Can you tell just how much fun I'm having?

This morning I plan to be working on the real Wedding dress if my customers stay away long enough so will call by to visit your desks in between jobs.  Do leave me a little hello message to say you've called by before popping over to see Julia and I will do my best to do a return visit asap.

Hugs,

Annie x

Friday's smile....

You may have seen that on Wednesday I had to turn out one of my cupboards to search out the pattern I designed to make my Wedding bears from.  I eventually found it in the last place I looked [of course] and have made the specially requested pair with their blue flowers.  Several of you have asked to see the finished results so here they are...

I hope you like them.  As you can see they are designed to be given as a good luck gift to the happy couple and come with one of my little poems. 

 I have also finished the latest trio of little dolls I was making.  When I was a childminder it was stressed to us that we should have dolls of different coloured skin tones for our children to play with for obvious reasons and I guess the importance of this has stuck with me.  These will be joining the others for sale in the blog shop as soon as I can get them uploaded.

I've just updated the dolly shelf over in the shop and these are now the dolls waiting to find homes.  :-)

Thanks for calling by and leaving me such lovely comments.  I hope you have some quality free time over the weekend to be creative and that my latest creations have made you smile. 

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW...

A little update from me to show you what I've been up to this week....

I've finished beading Michelle's Wedding veil ...and she is thrilled with the results. About 320 beads later!  :-) :-)  Sorry if you can't see it in detail.

I've got the latest 3 little coffee coloured dolls to this stage and cut out their dresses and pants out ready to sew.

Two special little people tried on their new cover ups that Great Auntie Jo made for them and then.....

Got them messy  :-)  :-) yum yum

Spent a fab day with Michelle making her wedding favour boxes and two special little people watched and played happily along side us.

 Since then I have had an order for a special pair of my Wedding bears and as it's been years since I have made some I had to search for the pattern that I designed to make them with.....Yes, this was one of those very rare occasions when I couldn't put my hand on what I needed!!  

The result was one empty cupboard, one very full to over flowing table [did all that really fit in one cupboard????], a bin bag full of rubbish and still no b***** pattern!!

 

 What I did find though was lots of stash that I had forgotten I had and stacks of magazines that I no longer need.  Has anyone any suggestions as to what I should do with all these?  The stack on the left is just paper craft magazines!....and as you know I am not really a paper crafter [no time or inclination to do it now].  I don't really want to post them to anyone [unless of course someone wants to pay the postage] but if anyone has ideas as to what I can do with them please let me know.

Well folks, that's about it from me for this week.  I have now found my little bear pattern....in the last place I looked of course!  and I now have to put all my stash back in my cupboard so I can tackle my sewing mountain for today.  Thank you for calling by and leaving me your lovely comments.  Hope you all have a happy, healthy week and can find some spare time to be creative.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW....

How is it the song goes?....'the lunatics are taking over the asylum'  :-) :-) :-)

Well that's a little how I'm feeling this morning.  I really do wish my customers would speak to each other and space out my work load.  At the end of yesterday I had piles of customers clothes everywhere waiting to be labelled and hung up on my 'to do' rail.  They had all come at once and I hadn't had time to hang them up between customers!

My 'to do' rail was already pretty full from the 4 customers that had been in the morning but....

.....the back of my chair was piled high with trousers, jumpers and jackets and.....

....I could hardly see my ironing board for the really huge bedspread that I have to alter.

Jo has managed to pick me up some gorgeous coffee coloured material for my next batch of dollies.....but of course these will have to wait for now.  I am doing my best to make them in different skin tones because I feel this important.

I've even had a visit from the Gruffalo who needed the end of his tail and a horn stitching back on.....

..... and a little devil who needed a stitch or two in one of his horns.

In between sewing jobs and in my spare time I'm also sewing beads on Michelle's wedding veil...it has 20 scallops round the edge and in each one I have put a combination of 6 beads like these with a crystal pear drop bead in the middle.  Now all I have to do is sew the other 200 crystal beads all round  :-) :-) :-)

So, you will guess where I will be today. Thank you for dropping in on me and for leaving your lovely comments.  I really do appreciate them.   I will do my best to drop in on as many of you as I can during my coffee breaks but if you don't get a visit from me this week please forgive me.  

Hugs,

Annie x

Meet Rosie and Suzie.....

Happy Funday Monday to you all.  I have been busy making more little friends this week.  The little brown dolls have proved very popular so I have made two more pretty little girl ones.

These are the latest two that I will be putting in the blog shop.

 

This is Rosie and she is wearing a pretty green and white spotty dress.

As Jo will tell you green is not my fav colour but I do rather like this spotty fabric and think she looks rather cute.

This is  Suzie and she is wearing her Sunday best dress and pants.  I think she looks like she's off to a party.  Doesn't she look pretty?

I shall be uploading these two cuties in the shop later if you have a special little one in your life that you'd like to buy them for.